THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023 - WHO PACKED YOUR PARACHUTE

 THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023 - WHO PACKED YOUR PARACHUTE

A friend shared this story with me:

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam.  After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.  Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands.  He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison.  He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience

 

One day, when Plumb and his wife were eating in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb!  You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.  You were shot down!" 

 

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. 

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.  Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude.  The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"  Plumb assured him, "It sure did.  If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." 

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man.  Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers.  I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."  Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know. 

 

Now, in his lectures, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?"  Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day.  He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute.  He called on all these supports before reaching safety. 

 

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. 

 

As you go through this week, this month, and this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.  

*****

There are similar stories - who helped you read and write in elementary school, who gave you your first job (knowing you’d be a ‘green’ recruit), who smiled and said ‘hi’ at the grocery store.  

In our daily walk, we bump into people who might be behind the scenes and do good things for us.

The other day, as I was getting on an elevator at my work, a man was getting off.  I don’t know his name, but recognize him as being part of the kitchen staff.  I thanked him for the great meals he and his team prepare and distribute to the people at the Assisted Living facility.  The meals are tasty, and the staff is nice and efficient.  I think back to the ice storm and how the kitchen staff still made delicious meals.  Yes, it is their job, but saying “thank you” to them (and to all people) is helpful.  

Have you ever written a thank you note to some of your teachers?  (I have). Do you say (and mean it) to the people who clean your office, to those that run the schools (like administrative assistants, janitors, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and all)? 

There is a story from Zig Ziglar going through the cafeteria line with an executive in a company.  The executive said “Thank you” to every one of the servers (and not just a perfunctory ‘thank you’, but a heartfelt ‘thank you’.  

And a caveat - saying “thank you” to others can also brighten your day.  If LOVE WINS - then we need a loving attitude, a kind and generous attitude in all we do!!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, MARCH 23, 2023